http://www.ganggreennation.com/2010/12/14/1876845/film-breakdown-what-is-wrong-with-the-running-game I don't know if Smith had the option to run the option with Cotchery on this play, but it appears as if that would have been a TD.
This is not much different than the pick that was thrown in the NE game at 24-3. NE has 9 in the box, and Edwards is far right in man coverage.... Do they throw a fade and let Edwards maake a play? No. They run him to the middle of the field where the LB makes the pick. (and Edwards was covered heavily as a result, in the case the LB gets caught napping)
It seems to me that the play isn't a bad design if Brad Smith reads the man coverage correctly. If they are in man like they were he should have gone with the option outside the box with Cotchery. If the DB doesn't follow Cotchery you stick with the dive play and hope D'Brick correctly blocks Wake instead of going second level.
I'm not trying to hate on Brad, but there's been more than a couple of times (including last year) when he should've taken the option, and kept it, leading the O to gain only 1 or 2 yards. I know Brad is trying to make the most out of those plays because he gets them so far n between, but sometimes he needs to let go of the ball and let others make a play. This is a good breakdown at how badly our OL has been playing lately. We're also getting no push when we run it up the gut. Even our pro-bowl LT has been getting bitched the last few weeks on 1-on-1 matchups.
There are a number of things the players could have done better on this play, two of which are simply bad decisions. D'Brick never should have passed over Wake to go 2nd level on a 4th and 1 situation if we're diving up the gut. I don't know why he would do that unless the play dictated what I already suggested and Brad didn't make the correct read. So if the motion man drew the DB indicating man coverage - maybe the play was supposed to be option and d'brick was supposed to go second level.
Possibly. But I doubt we attempt to run a homerun/TD-or-bust play on a 4th and 1. My guess is it was supposed to go up the gut or off to the right and keep the drive alive. Is it possible that Schotty actually had this homerun gem stashed away and Brad Smith just made the wrong read? Sure. But is it just execution? Or is it bone-headed designs like this where the defense knows to put 9-10 in the box? Or both?
If it's supposed to go up the middle D'Brick has to be responsible for Wake. Otherwise it's completely retarded. And if D'Brick took Wake it's probably a first down.
It's not a play breakdown, but I was at the game, and I still don't know what happened where we had 9 men on the field. Was this simply miscommunication as to whether we were in goal-liine or not?
with 9 in the box the ONLY play is for smith to fake and then pitch out to cotch... in fact i think for a split second wake expected that to occur. that single 4th and 1 play can and should be reproduced into 3 or 4 variations - with the opposing defense dictating which one is ultimately run. thanks WSW jil
The way Brick's body is angled the whole play makes it truly seem like the option to Cotchery was there
the first paragraph is the most telling.schotty is letting the defense do what ever they want.they want to stack the box and he calls formations and packages that let them.with the way the roster is set up there is no reason he should not be able to keep the opposing d in nickel and dime packages.you can stil be a running team without running power formations. this week i want to see schotty spread the steelers out and keep one of their lbs off the field since that is the strongest unit on their d
I knew there'd be a bunch of people to quickly jump on Schotty for this one. It really appears as if his intent is to have them stack the box and have Smith pitch it, but Smith made a poor read. If he runs the option with Cotch and pitches it, it's probably a game winning TD.
i actually think this is a little on rex.with the football philosophy he seems to hold he maybe pressuring schotty to line up more in big,power formations. i should have put that in my first post.
If the intent of the play was to line up and smash them in the mouth D'Brick should have never been going to the second level. Watch him go out and seal the safety as if he's blocking for someone to take the sideline. One of three things went wrong. 1) Smith misread the defense and didn't go with the option outside, while D'Brick correctly read the defense and went for the seal on the safety. 2) D'Brick misread the defense and didn't block Wake. 3) The play design was 100% completely retarded and had D'Brick sealing the safety while leaving a DE unblocked when we were running a dive up the middle. If you want to get on schotty here, I'd say a good complaint would be #1 - why are players being asked to think so much in this situation? #2 - why are they not prepared well enough to make the correct decisions?
Thanks WSW - nice analysis. Yeah I want to get on Schotty for this. Its a poorly designed overly complicated play that forces your players out of position to make too many decisions in order to get a freakin' yard. Classic Schotty. and it doesn't even seem like they are all on the same page at all. How can you call a 4/1 play and your offense doesn't even know what the hell its doing? Why not at least keep Sanchez in there and let him or Greene get the yard or let him audible for a quick pass? Schotty gets too carried away w/himself confuses his own players and fools nobody on defense. Maybe I'm nutty, but in 4/1 I prefer having my elite LT playing LT rather than sliding him out to TE. Especially when the play is going up the middle of the OL. It might be a 1st down if Brick hits Wake. But to me it doesn't look like we are getting much of a push anywhere on that LOS. Looks to me like we're getting stood up and stopped. Beaten. Nice point on JCo - what is the purpose of that other than to broadcast run to the D? Seems like he should have taken his man out of the box. If we have 9 in the box w/Smith pretending to be a QB and Brick out pretending he's a TE - The D is 99% run read here even w/Jco positioned correctly and you'd think that if Sanchez could cope he should be able to audible and hit the receiver on a quick pass to rip this D. I hate this play btw. People playing in the wrong positions and running right into a matchup disadvantage. I think its kind of fucked. But I think you're right in that if executed correctly it should have picked up the yard. That's a big If however.
It really doesn't make sense to leave Wake alone. Unless the Jets figured he would be so aggressive in trying to defend Cotchery that he would take himself out of the play, which would've had to mean the play was designed to go up the gut.
yea fair enough.i was looking at it as a microcosam of whats wrong with the offense as a whole moreso than what went wrong on this individual play.
